


Silver-Eyed Destiny

by StellaStarMagic



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Eventual Smut, Faunus Ruby Rose (RWBY), Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25431346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaStarMagic/pseuds/StellaStarMagic
Summary: Summer Rose didn't stay with her family before leaving for her fateful mission. Summer took Ruby with her and looked for another silver-eyed warrior. She found one in Maria Calavera, who agreed to teach Ruby what she could in Summer's stead. After years of isolation and training, Ruby returned to Vale, ready to follow in her mother's footsteps and to fulfil her destiny.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 93
Kudos: 181





	1. Her Mother's Roots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! The hiatus has to be filled somehow and I was in need of something fresh, something different from my HP fics, so here we are! This Ruby has been raised by Maria and is a fox Faunus. Why? Because foxes are adorable. Ruby is adorable. It made sense to me.
> 
> Also, a few changes to Faunus in this fic: they can have more than one prominent trait. If one of those traits happens to be a pair of animal ears, their human ears are gone. I never was a fan of that two pairs of ears thing with canon Faunus.

It had been too long. Only very vague memories were left of the last time she had been to Vale, more than a decade ago. Now, being back here, having just arrived at the Docks, was a very odd feeling – a mix of melancholy and coming home. Her gran – not by blood, but she was _ancient_ and she had raised her, so that title was only fitting – had sent her on her way to travel on her own for a while, to see the world, to make her own experiences and to forge her own path.

And now Ruby Rose was back here, in Vale.

Ruby was sure she made quite the sight: a red and hooded cape, a black combat dress with black tights underneath, a belt with high calibre bullets for her mechashift weapon resting against her lower back – not to mention the multiple bullet pouches. To really make sure that she stood out as much as possible, a skull mask with red highlights, similar to the one her granny used to wear, was attached to her belt as well. To top it all off, there were also the fox ears and tail.

She suddenly felt very awkward, as if everything and everyone had their sights on her. A Faunus-girl looking the way she did? One didn't need to be blatantly racist to get certain thoughts upon seeing her in her getup. She was sure that most would wonder if she happened to be a member of the White Fang or some kind of Faunus vigilante.

She, of course, was neither.

Her granny had spent hours with her to try and make her understand how the world worked. The racism, the differences between rich and poor, the fight of huntsmen and huntresses against Grimm. _Or_ , if one wanted to go into the more obscure, there were also silver eyes of course.

Ruby knew there were people out there who would try to kill her for her eyes. She was aware of how special those silver eyes of hers were and what they could do. Her granny had taught her how to use them, as well. After all, Ruby was one of the last of her kind – if not _the_ last.

 _You are destined to be a warrior,_ her gran would say, _and I know you will be the greatest of our kind to walk the face of Remnant._

Her gran knew a lot of things, but she didn't know everything. For example, Granny Maria didn't know where Ruby's mother had disappeared to. Ruby wasn't naive, however, and she had a very good idea of what had happened to her mother after she had left. It had been ten years, after all, and there were only very few options. Still, she couldn't help but hope.

But Granny Maria knew why Ruby's mum had left Ruby with her. She had told her that her mother had sought another silver-eyed warrior to train Ruby because she had to leave, or so she said. Her mother had also run off with Ruby to protect her dad and sister, just in case. Now, the memories she had of her father and sister were only very vague. She had simply spent too little time with them.

It was what it was, however, and she knew there was nothing that could be done now to change actions long since passed. Ruby wasn't bitter or angry. After her gran had told her everything, she had even felt relieved. She could go as far as to say that she understood her mother's actions. Would she have handled the situation differently? Probably not. She would do everything to protect her loved ones, just like her mother had done. Two silver-eyed warriors in the same house would have probably attracted attention at some point and who knew what would have happened to her father or sister then?

She sighed, turning to look at the sea. It had taken her years of training, isolation and begging for her gran to allow her to leave early. Oh, Ruby loved Granny Maria dearly and she knew that she would never be able to repay everything her gran had done for her. But the fact remained that she was a young girl who yearned for more than Mistral's mountains and Vacuo's wastelands. She was glad her gran had relented, even if she made her promise to call every day, so her gran could be sure that she was doing okay.

And now she was here, back in Vale.

It was such a huge difference after years of living in isolation, away from most of Remnant's civilization. Modern buildings were towering over everything, countless people were walking around, the hustle and bustle of Vale's everyday life were overpowering her senses. She wondered if adjusting to all of this would have been easier if she would have gotten her scroll earlier and not just as a sort of farewell gift.

Ruby sighed again. It didn't matter now. She had wanted this and now she was here. It was getting late and she had yet to find a place to stay before calling her granny. It wouldn't do to make her old heart worry after not even one day.

So, Ruby started walking, taking care not to bump into someone by accident. Such an accident could quickly turn into her being in jail because she 'assaulted' a human. Her gran had made sure to make her aware just how exactly a large portion of humans was seeing the Faunus populace. It wasn't a nice thing to be made aware of as a child but necessary, especially considering the fluffy tail she had. It was so prominent and difficult to hide, people just noticed it immediately.

Personally, she liked it. She liked what she was because, for one, it was something she shared with her mother and secondly, her traits had advantages: the tail provided additional warmth when she felt cold and her ears gave her exceptional hearing, which, granted, was both a blessing and a curse.

_"Fuckin' animal…"_

_"That Faunus looks dangerous, should we call the police?"_

_"Look at that animal's getup!"_

Not everything she heard was things she wanted to be hearing and, despite being mentally prepared to be on the receiving end of disdain for no other reason than her heritage, hearing those things still hurt. _A lot._

Her ears flattened a bit against her head and she started to walk faster. She pulled the hood of her cape up, though it had cuts on the top to allow her ears to poke through. She couldn't hide them – not that she wanted to, but even if she _did_ want to hide them, she simply couldn't. Hiding cat ears, for example, would have been way easier.

Several shops and a mall she walked past had signs hanging on their doors, forbidding Faunus to enter. She wondered how her mother had dealt with such animosity during her life. Supposedly, humans and Faunus had made progress over the past decades, but what she was seeing and hearing so far didn't make it seem so. Her granny appeared to be right once again.

Still, Ruby wanted to see her mother's birthplace, her mother's home. She wanted to see what the woman who had given birth to her, who had given up so much for her, lived like, what she had seen and experienced, where she had gone to school and the Academy she had visited. She simply wanted to get to know her mother.

Finally, after quite a bit of walking, she saw a shop which actually allowed people in. _From Dust Till Dawn_ the large sign said and she cocked her head in curiosity. She hadn't been to many shops and, usually, her gran would handle such things just to keep her out of potential enemies' sights. That overly protective behaviour was one of the major reasons why she applied herself even more into her training. Granny Maria wasn't in any fighting shape, to begin with, and to be able to break out of that protective bubble, Ruby knew she had to be able to protect herself. In doing so, she also proved to her granny that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Ruby doubted that Granny Maria would have allowed her to leave at all if she wasn't.

She hesitated in front of the shop, not sure whether to go in or not. Without a lot of money to spend, Ruby was nervous. Maybe she'd be kicked out? Maybe she'd be accused of loitering? But she was curious and wanted to see what this shop had to offer beyond the obvious.

So, steeling herself, she opened the door to the shop, a little bell ringing and signalling to the owner that he had a customer. An elderly man smiled at her from the counter, his eyes not once flicking to her ears poking through her hood. She was pleasantly surprised.

"Welcome, young lady! Feel free to look around and don't hesitate to come to me if you have questions," he said and Ruby smiled at him shyly.

"Thank you, sir." Talking to others still felt a bit weird, she had to admit. It wasn't like she had never talked with people other than her granny before, but it had indeed been a rather rare occurrence.

Ruby looked around and marvelled at the large amounts of dust in this shop. She was sure that, in comparison to other shops, this one was pretty small, but, to her, it still looked like it offered a _lot_ of dust. Unrefined, refined – it was all here in a single place. It was a bit of a culture shock, no doubt.

Spotting the different weapon magazines in the corner, Ruby headed over there. She wouldn't spend her money on such things, she had had to promise that to Granny Maria. It wasn't like she had any money to spend, it just wasn't all that much. Her granny was actually pretty well off, according to her – money she had inherited from her parents and money she had made as what would today be considered a huntress.

One of the magazines caught her eyes – simply called _Weapons_ – so she picked it up and turned it to read it's back. _The best of them all_ , it said, and Ruby had to grin wryly. That sure was a big promise. She opened a random page and had to nod in approval. Yes, she liked what she was seeing: a fan imbued with dust and retractable blades on each end. Not really her style but she imagined that fighting with that weapon would look really graceful.

She was starting to get really engrossed in the magazine when the shop got another customer – well, the first customer probably, considering that she wasn't going to buy anything – and the footsteps of multiple people were catching her attention. Her ears twitched the moment one of the newcomers spoke.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late?"

Ruby wasn't sure why, but the way he spoke didn't make her feel relaxed at all. It was clear that he tried to sound relaxed and nonchalant, but it just didn't put her at ease. It was quite the opposite in fact. Her whole body tensed up and she got her confirmation the moment she heard a dust-gun charge up.

Also, she had seen quite a few dust-shops which were still open, so that guy was just acting.

Way to start her journey. All she wanted to do was to see a dust-shop. Just her luck that she picked out the dust-shop which was going to be robbed.

Just a little bit later, she heard footsteps approaching her and hoped that no one was going to find her in her tiny little corner. She neither wanted the attention of dust-thieves and she most definitely didn't want the attention of human police as the inevitable aftermath.

The footsteps were getting ever closer and she sighed in resignation. "Please don't get mad at me, granny," Ruby whispered to herself and quickly put on her mask. Attention or not, she didn't want those thieves to see her face or eyes. Her cape was quite noticeable by itself as were her Faunus traits. She didn't need them to talk about _"the fox Faunus girl with a red cape and silver eyes"_. _"The fox Faunus girl with a red cape and skull mask"_ was more than enough.

"Alright, kid, put your hands up in the air!"

Ruby didn't answer and just disappeared in rose petals. In her world of crimson, she moved rapidly towards the criminal and grabbed a hold of her weapon. His expression pure confusion and surprise, she reappeared behind him and, before he could turn around, aimed her compact sniper rifle at his back. She pulled the trigger and sent him flying into a shelf, shattering his aura as if it wasn't even there. She was glad his aura had still been strong enough to take the damage or he would have had a gaping hole in his torso.

She shook her head off those thoughts before she made herself puke.

She was also glad that the dust was apparently not volatile enough to explode or they would all be dead now.

The sound of her brief battle caught the attention of the rest of the criminals. She was quickly surrounded by them.

"Uh, could we take this outside, please?" Ruby asked them. "I don't think fighting in here is a good idea and I also don't want to damage that grampa's shop any more than I already did."

"I think we are perfectly fine where we are, Red," a guy in a white coat with a bowler hat and a cane said. She assumed he was the boss. "Why don't you take off that ugly mask, hm?"

Ruby waved him off. "Nah." She then turned towards the old man behind the counter, who had his arms still in the air. "I'm really sorry about your window, Sir."

He gave her a confused look, but, too fast for anyone to react, she unfolded her crimson scythe and, in one fluid movement, knocked one of the guys dressed in black through the window with the blunt end of her scythe.

Back in her semblance, she flew after him and kneeled him in his face before he could get back to his feet. The other two followed quickly, one of them shooting at her with a gun. She twirled her scythe in front of her to block the rounds and side-stepped the other guy's attack with a red sword. Swinging her scythe, she knocked the sword-grunt's legs from under him with the blunt side of her weapon and quickly turned to knock him out with a vicious kick to his head. Then she aimed the barrel behind herself and propelled herself at the gun-grunt, hitting him with both feet in his face, slamming the back of his head against the wall behind him. She couldn't help but wince at the headache he was certainly going to have.

The bowler-guy was scowling at his knocked-out muscle. "Waste of my fucking money..." He then looked at her, still scowling. "The last thing I need is a little girl playing the hero, so you either run off to bed or –"

The sound of closing-in police cars interrupted him, the blaring sirens now finally catching her attention as well. She was so engrossed in her fight that she must have missed it.

The bowler-guy pointed the end of his cane at her, which felt more threatening than it should. "You better hope I won't see you again, Red."

Her bad feeling proved itself right when suddenly the bottom end of the cane went up and became a crosshair. The blink of an eye later, an explosive flair flew at her, forcing her into her semblance to fly up and dodge its explosion. When she landed, he was gone. She looked around frantically and could just about make out the bowler-guy as he was climbing a ladder up on the side of a building.

She bit her lower lip. Letting him go was very low on her agenda but how bad would it look for a Faunus to leave a crime scene right when the police arrived? With her shoulders slumped and multiple curious eyes looking at the damage done to the shop and knocked-out gangsters _and her_ in the middle of all of it, she resigned herself to the scolding of a lifetime she would definitely receive from her granny.

At least Granny Maria wasn't there to hit her on the head with that cane of hers


	2. The Interview

One bad thing about being a Faunus was that, with certain traits, it was almost impossible to hide one's emotions. For her, it most definitely was her ears. Flat against her head, they betrayed how nervous, scared and on edge she was. A crime had taken place and she, a Faunus, was taken to the police station? _That_ was not promising _at all_. She didn't want to go to jail. She was just fifteen! What would her granny say once she knew?

An involuntary chuckle escaped her.

Granny Maria would probably tell her to just break out. Her granny was like that sometimes. She taught her all the wrongs and rights of this world but was a rebel at heart herself.

Ruby wondered if her mother had ever been in such a situation.

Her ears perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. A shiver went through her body. Would it be some mean policeman, or -woman, who hated Faunus? Would they twist and turn her every word to incriminate her? Would they even take into account that she was just a fifteen-year-old teenager?

When the door to the interview room finally opened, she felt herself relax, just a bit. It was no police officer who entered, but a blonde, bespectacled, middle-aged woman. She appeared to be rather stern if her expression and overall demeanour were anything to go by. Ruby's brief moment of relaxation vanished as quickly as it came and she tensed up again. What if this woman was racist? What if she was part of the police, in whichever role that might be?

"I am Glynda Goodwitch, deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy," the woman began. "I assume I don't need to remind you why you are here?"

Ruby shook her head. She definitely remembered. Though she did wonder why the deputy headmistress of an academy for huntsmen and huntresses was here – the academy her mother went to, no less.

The deputy headmistress nodded, then continued. "I hope you are aware of just how dangerous and careless your actions today were."

"I just defended myself, Mrs Goodwitch." To Ruby's surprise, she could just about make out the faintest of blushes dusting the woman's cheeks.

"It's _Ms_ Goodwitch," the woman said after delicately clearing her throat. "And I understand that one has to defend themselves, especially when encountering the likes of Roman Torchwick, _but_ you also have to understand that you are only a fifteen-year-old girl who almost had to face a very dangerous individual. Too many underestimate him and too few know that he does not work alone."

Well, that he didn't work alone had been quite obvious. "It was difficult to miss that he had others working for him," Ruby said, trying not to sound disrespectful.

Ms Goodwitch hinted at the barest of smiles. "I did not mean his bought muscle. Those could have been defeated by most Signal graduates. What I mean to say is that you should not engage an opponent if you do not know them – especially if you are just a teenager. One mistake could have led to a tragic loss of life – yours...or perhaps an innocent bystander's."

Ruby gulped. It was true what Ms Goodwitch was saying. It was pure luck that she hadn't been blown to smithereens in that dust shop. All that dust and that one guy flying into a shelf stocked with crystals – just the fact that it hadn't exploded was luck. She would have been dead. The criminals would have been dead, though few people would have mourned for _them_. The old shopkeeper would have died too. She was sure his loss would have been mourned. She toyed with the hem of her skirt, her ears flattening even more against her head. "I'm sorry, Ms Goodwitch." She really was. Putting people into danger was the last thing she had wanted.

The woman hummed, sounding approving. "At least you seem to grasp the gravity of your actions."

"I really was just trying to defend myself. And that old shopkeep. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

Ms Goodwitch nodded, still looking stern. "I understand, but even then your actions can have dire consequences, young lady – no matter how well-meaning they might be."

Ruby sighed. Sitting through this woman's lecture was still better than what she would have to listen to once Granny Maria would hear of this. Just the very thought of it gave her the worst kinds of chills. "I'll be more careful, ma'am."

Ms Goodwitch nodded in approval. "Very well. There is still someone who wants to talk to you and he should arrive at any moment now," the deputy headmistress said and Ruby was sure she could detect a bit of annoyance creeping into her voice. It made her wonder if that other person was late.

But, as if on cue, the door to the interview room entered again and in came a man with tousled grey hair and spectacles with shaded glasses. He also had a cane, though it didn't look like he actually needed it – she could detect no limp when he was walking. The newcomer placed a small plate with cookies in front of her and a glass of milk to go with it. Ruby already felt her mouth start to water. The cookies might not have been freshly baked, but in the end, they still were cookies. Now she was longing for Granny Maria's freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. She still wasn't about to say no to the substitutes offered to her. Grabbing one, she broke it in half and dunked it into the milk. "Thank you, sir."

"You are quite welcome," he said with a kind smile, then he looked at her in the most intense and curious manner she had ever experienced. "Ruby Rose. You...have silver eyes."

A million alarm bells rang immediately in her head and, without even thinking, she activated her semblance, dashing for the door and sending the cookies and milk flying through the room while her chair shattered against a wall and the table got tossed aside. Just as she was about to reach the door, she stopped.

Not of her own volition, though.

She tried to move but was stuck in midair, no matter how hard she tried. She was floating back to her chair, which, to her amazement, looked perfectly fine. With more force than necessary, she was placed back on her chair. Wincing at the brief pain her bum had to suffer through, she looked back at her captors with all the defiance she could muster. If it came down to it, she knew she had the skill to defend herself and she would do so to her very last breath.

_But_ , Granny Maria too had had the skill as well as the confidence and yet, she had still lost her eyes.

"I admit, I did not expect such a reaction," the man began with a small chuckle. "I assume that means you know of the ability you possess, Miss Rose."

Ms Goodwitch gave her the most disapproving glare Ruby had ever seen on a person, but she just kept glaring back, her flattened ears betraying how threatened she was feeling. Her tail was wrapped around her middle – a way to comfort herself and, according to her granny, she had apparently done it since she had been little, especially after her mother had left and not come back.

"It is good to see that you obviously seem protective about that gift, although it is misplaced here," the man said. "Since you don't seem to know who I am, allow me to introduce myself: I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"That doesn't mean you aren't after my eyes," Ruby said, her voice low and threatening.

"Does your mother go by the name of Summer Rose?" he suddenly asked her and that question made her eyes shoot wide open and ears perk up. "I've known your mother, Miss Rose," Ozpin said and all kinds of thoughts started running rampant in her head immediately. "Summer was one of my favourite students."

"Your –" Ruby felt as if she had a huge lump in her throat. She wanted to believe him, but years of training and conditioning weren't easy to shake off. If someone knew about silver eyes she had to see them as a threat unless there was concrete proof to the contrary. Unfortunately, mere words were no such thing.

"Indeed." Professor Ozpin leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table and his fingertips touching in front of his face. "I commend you for your caution, but, again, neither is Professor Goodwitch nor am I your enemy here."

"I won't believe you before I have proof."

Professor Ozpin leaned back in his chair, smiling at her. "That can be arranged. If you want, I can call your family here. I am sure your father, sister and uncle would really love to see you after all these years."

Ruby waved her hands in front of her. "No! Please, don't!"

"Oh?"

She scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "I, uhh...it's been so long and I barely remember anything about them...it'll – y'know, it's going to be weird and, well…" She shrugged, not quite sure how to express her feelings any better. Sure, she'd like to see them again, but she'd rather do so on her own terms. But she was rather curious about that uncle. As hard as she tried, she couldn't remember him at all. When it came to her father and sister, she at least had a picture her mother had left behind before leaving – it was kind of romantic that her parents used to be on the same team – but she simply did not know anything more than that. And pretty much all she knew were things her mother had told Granny Maria.

Unfortunately, she could not remember that uncle, though – if he even existed and wasn't just a ploy.

Professor Ozpin nodded, appearing to understand her. "Very well. It is not my place to force this issue upon you."

She was glad about that. Ruby still had her doubts, yet couldn't help but feel a flicker of trust. "I still need actual proof though."

Professor Ozpin turned to Ms Goodwitch and nodded, who took her scroll, typed something, appeared to be opening an application and then placed it in front of her on the table. Ruby looked at the two adults, unsure, but, at Ozpin's nod, leaned forward to look at what they wanted to show her.

And once she saw, a small gasp escaped her.

On there, she saw four letters – _STRQ_ – over the pictures of four students. One, she recognized immediately because of the white cape with its hood pulled up and the fox ears poking out. Underneath the _S_ , there was a picture of her mother. Ruby marvelled at how much her mother looked like her – or how much she must look like her mother. Her father she also recognized, his picture underneath the _T_. There wasn't the same longing she'd feel whenever she would take a peek at her mother's picture, and she did feel a bit guilty for it, but she knew it wasn't really her fault. Over a decade of no contact, of isolation, would cause a bit of estrangement from one's parent. Still, she knew she would be happy to see him once that time would come. There would always be time to reconnect.

Looking at the other two, she furrowed her brows a bit in confusion. "Who are they?" she asked Professor Ozpin.

"That woman –" he pointed at the picture beneath the _R_ "– is Raven Branwen. She is your sister's mother."

Ruby's mouth dropped open. So they were _half-sisters_. She never knew. She wondered what had happened between her father and Raven Branwen and hoped her mother hadn't had anything to do with it.

Professor Ozpin then pointed at the _Q._ "Qrow Branwen, Raven's twin. You may not be related by blood, but he still refers to you as his niece – even after all the years you have been gone. Raven...she has left the team, your father and your sister shortly after she gave birth to your sister."

"Why do you know so much about them?" Ruby asked. She doubted it was common for headmasters to know this much about a team's inner workings, especially when it came to private matters.

"They all worked for me for some time after they graduated. Qrow still does."

That would do. She wondered what exactly that _work_ entailed but was certain that she'd get no answers. The fact that she got as much out of the headmaster as she did was enough for now.

"Also," Professor Ozpin spoke up again, "if you still have doubts about my identity, feel free to look it up on your scroll."

She glanced at the two again and reached for her scroll in her dress's pocket, quickly opened the browser and typed in the words _Ozpin_ and _Beacon_. Her brows rose at headlines like _"youngest headmaster"_ and similar praises. It looked like the headmaster and his deputy headmistress had been genuine after all.

"So...what now?" she asked, her ears perked up and her tail relaxed between her back and the chair's backrest, gently swishing back and forth, just above the ground. She wished the chairs would be more Faunus friendly.

"Well, Miss Rose, the actual reason why we are here was to ask how you have learned to fight as well as you did," he said and showed her a bit of the footage from her fight. She really did look cool. "I only know of one other scythe wielder of such skill and he happens to be none other than your uncle Qrow Branwen."

"He is a scythe-wielder too?" Ruby asked, genuinely excited at that. "I was taught by my granny. She can't really fight anymore, but she taught me all the stances and things. I trained every day since I was seven."

"May I ask who your grandmother is?"

Ruby shook her head. "Sorry, but no. She doesn't like to get involved in things if she can help it. All I can say is that we are not related by blood."

"I understand." There was silence for a few moments before the headmaster spoke again. "Miss Rose...I want to make you an offer – a one-time offer and, as a fair warning, should you refuse I will have to leave you at the police's mercy."

Her ears flattened again. If that wasn't manipulative she didn't know what was. While the headmaster seemed nice, she now could also see that he was quite adept at moving pieces to his liking. "What's your offer?"

"A scholarship to study and train at Beacon Academy for the next four years."

Now, her brows shot up and her ears stood upright again. That was not what she was expecting. "Really?"

"Indeed." He smiled at her. "You are fifteen, according to your papers – which the officers apprehending you were kind enough to hand over to me. So, you would be two years younger than any other student at Beacon. However, I have the utmost faith in you and your abilities."

"Can I talk to my granny first?" she asked and, after glancing at each other, the headmaster and deputy headmistress nodded.

"Of course," Professor Ozpin said, then got up from his chair and left the room with Ms Goodwitch.

Ruby wasted no time to tap on her granny's name in her contact list – the only number she had saved there – and it took no time for Granny Maria to pick up.

"Ruby! How are you? Where are you? Have you eaten yet and have you found a place to stay for the night? Has anyone given you crap for being a Faunus?"

Grinning at the barrage of questions and blushing faintly at her granny's language. "Hi, gran. I'm okay...but there's something I've got to tell you."

She heard Granny Maria sigh loudly. "What did you do, Ruby?"

Ruby looked scandalized at the insinuation. "Why do you make it sound as if _I_ did something?! It wasn't my fault! I-I was just in that shop, minding my own business and next thing I know there's a bunch of gangsters robbing it! I just defended myself and the old shopkeep!"

"And?"

"And now I am in the police station and Beacon Academy's headmaster offered me a scholarship."

There was a bit of silence before Granny Maria spoke again. "Did you accept?"

"Not yet, I wa-"

"What are you doing, girl?! Accept it already!"

Ruby felt a bubble of excitement settling in her stomach. "Really?"

"Yes, of course! You get a place to stay, can interact with kids around your age, you get even more training by professionals – plus, it would keep me from worrying too much about you. It's almost too good to be true."

She couldn't stop the grin breaking through. "Okay."

"Now go, tell them you accept and show everyone what you are made of!"

"I will, granny."

Not even a day in Vale and it looked like she was going to go to Beacon Academy.


	3. Beacon

She would be lying if she said that there weren't a billion butterflies running havoc in her stomach. Her tail was swishing back and forth and her eyes were wide with excitement as she was staring outside. She was standing in a bullhead belonging to Beacon Academy, en route to said academy.

Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch had handled the remaining business with Vale's police force and offered her to spend the night at Beacon since the new semester would begin tomorrow anyway. She, of course, did not decline the offer – she would have been foolish to do so – and now they were on their way to her new home for the coming four years. To say she was excited would be an understatement. She did love Granny Maria, of course, but this was a chance she never knew she'd want. Even though she would still be the youngest, the age difference would be so much smaller this time around. She would get to meet new people and they would be around her age too!

But then again, she got scared just thinking about jumping into this unknown sea of people, this melting pot of different characters, ideas, views. One person could insult her for her heritage and the other could offer a hand in help. It would be all about random luck. Then again, such was life. She'd have to power through.

Her ears perked up and she jumped up and down in excitement – there, in the distance, she could just about make out the academy. The landing pads close to the waterfalls were illuminated, as was the main building. Even as far away as they still were, she could tell that it looked beautiful and so different from anything she had gotten used to over the years.

"That is indeed a view I never get tired of," Professor Ozpin said.

She turned back to look at him. He had a kind and amused smile toying around his lips and she returned it with a big grin. The starry night quickly drew her attention back in, however, and her eyes were once again fixated on the Academy, drawing ever closer with every second.

This was it; the academy her mother had gone to, the place where she had made friends and where she had learned to hunt and slay Grimm. She almost couldn't believe that, now, she was on her way there as well. It was scary, but it also gave her a way to connect with her mother a bit more. She wished she was there to see her now. Only fifteen and she was on her way to Beacon!

Her excitement waned a bit, making place for that familiar heartache. She touched the small, silver and cross-shaped sword pinned to her cape, muttering a quick prayer under her breath, wishing for the Battle Maiden to watch over her mother, wherever she may be.

"I didn't peg you for the religious type and was quite surprised to see the Battle Maiden's symbol on you, Miss Rose," Professor Ozpin said.

Ruby glanced back at him, a shy smile on her face. "I-I'm not sure if, y'know, Gods and such things exist," Ruby said with a shrug. "It's just...comforting to believe that...someone or something watches over us and the people we love."

"And isn't that the exact reason why religion exists in the first place? To give us comfort in difficult times? Companionship when we have none?" Professor Ozpin smiled at her. "A simple thing for simple reasons. Unfortunate, that so many complicate it beyond reason and twist it beyond recognition."

Ruby replied with another shrug, not sure what else to say. So, she turned back to watch the now rapidly approaching landing pads of the academy, her fingers caressing the sword-pins again.

She hoped her mum would be proud if she saw her now.

* * *

The next morning, Ruby was lying wide awake on her bed in one of the first-year dormitories. She had barely caught any shut-eye and her tiredness was catching up with her. She couldn't help it, though. Excitement and nervousness were warring inside of her. People around her age would be all over the place. Sure, she'd still be the youngest, but only by two years with the other firsties at least.

With a heavy sigh, she got up from her bed and knelt next to it, her hands folded on the mattress. She quickly did her morning prayer, then got back up to her feet.

After her morning routine, she packed up her toiletries and left for the amphitheatre. She had been told by Professor Goodwitch where to go, what to do and when to do it, but neither of the Professors appeared to have accounted for the possibility that her excitement might rob her of any and all sleep. Now, she still had quite a bit of time to waste and wasn't sure what to do with it.

So, she spent a lonely morning in the cafeteria, which gained her a few curious looks from older students, but that was okay. As long as they didn't glare or point or say things about her ears and tail she could deal with curious glances. She'd probably do the same if the roles were reversed after all.

After eating a quick breakfast, she left the cafeteria to take a look at the campus and what else the Academy had to offer. Having arrived late last night, she hadn't had the opportunity to do so. She used the rest of her time to _uhhh_ and _ahhh_ at the impressive architecture, which was unlike anything she had seen before. With her granny, they'd usually be away from the busy cities and away from the kingdoms. She had spent most of the time training under Granny Maria and slaying Grimm in settlements, once she got old enough at least, and had had a great time doing so. What she was seeing now, here – it all was just a bit of a culture shock, beginning the moment she had stepped into Vale's port.

Taking a break from her sightseeing tour, she found herself a bench to sit on. It wouldn't take much longer for the new applicants to arrive, a thought that made her stomach twist into painful knots. What would they be like? Would they be accepting of her, even though she was two years younger _and_ a Faunus? Would her sister be with them? She was so nervous, she was about to puke.

She tried to distract herself with the older students walking to and fro, heading to their first classes of the semester. She also tried to distract herself with the distant sound of the waterfall, with the chatter of everyone around her, with the weapons she could make out on some of the students, but it didn't work. Nothing worked.

Suddenly she found herself doubting her decision. Suddenly she wished she would have stayed with Granny Maria and not gone out to the big cities. It was cool and exciting, that much was true, but she still felt out of place. She felt as if she didn't belong to these busy places, as if she didn't belong with these students. She'd stand out like a whole sore hand instead of just a thumb.

Her breathing became more shallow, her chest started to feel tight all of a sudden and –

"You okay, kid?"

Someone shook her and her vision refocused. Shakily looking around, she found herself back on the bench. A shiver ran through her and she realized that cold sweat had broken out all over her skin.

"Kid?"

Ruby looked to her side and saw a girl wearing a beret and sunglasses looking at her. She couldn't quite tell whether the girl was worried or curious. "I-I'm okay," she said, stammering a bit. Talking to people was scary, although, after her initial standoffishness, she had felt kind of comfortable around the Professors. Especially the headmaster had made her feel at ease. He just had something calming about him and oozed seemingly never-ending patience.

This girl, however, didn't have that. She didn't put her at ease, she didn't make her comfortable.

"You sure?" she asked and sat down next to her, putting the back of her hand against her forehead. "You don't feel hot, but your forehead is sweaty. Plus, it kinda looked like you were about to have a panic attack."

Ruby waved her off, her tail curling itself around her midriff, the familiar warmth of the fur helping her relax. "It's okay."

"Fine then." The girl shrugged. "Look, I'm just gonna assume you are one of the newbies and you look like you could use some company. So, if you make it through initiation and just wanna chat or hang, here's my scroll number," the girl said, handing her a small, white card. "I don't have a business, but business cards are kinda handy," the girl said with a grin.

Ruby took it hesitantly. _Coco Adel_ , it read. _Leader of Team CFVY_. She didn't know what those four capital letters meant, but that girl was a team leader. That sounded like a big deal.

She returned her attention to the girl – Coco, apparently – but all she saw was the girl already walking over to another, who, to Ruby's surprise, was a rabbit Faunus. It was easily noticeable because of her large pair of ears. The Faunus girl noticed her looking and gave her a grin and a quick wave, which was followed by a smirk and a very lazy wave by Coco. Then, they both disappeared in the cluster of students.

It had been a bit of a weird acquaintance she had just made, no doubt. Still, it had also been the distraction she had longed for. For a few precious moments, her worries had been entirely forgotten, even if they were now returning, slowly and steadily.

Still, this time, her mind was not focusing on _those_ thoughts. They were present, yes, but her mind didn't _dive_ into that black pool of negativity. Instead, she thought about that girl and her Faunus friend. They, at least, appeared to be friendly. Ruby wondered why that girl even came over to her. Was it worry because of her short but intense moment of anxiety? Was it because she was a Faunus, just like her friend? Did her Faunus friend send her? If so, then why didn't the Faunus girl come to say hello? So many questions, so few answers.

She got up from her bench after checking the time. Soon, the other applicants would arrive – or _just_ applicants since she hadn't applied – and Ruby didn't want to face them the moment they landed. So, she did the sensible thing and walked towards the amphitheatre to go and find herself a dark corner somewhere.

She wouldn't exactly call herself antisocial. She simply, apparently, was prone to anxiety when it came to certain scenarios and situations. It, most likely, had a lot to do with the way she had grown up, isolated from society and drilled into surviving. By no means had it been bad or anything. She had had a lot of fun and her Granny had been great to her and done her best to give her a good and happy childhood, despite the circumstances. Now, however, she felt like a fish out of water.

_"Another animal. They let everyone attend the academies these days…"_

Her ears flattened against her head and she wrapped her cape tighter around herself. With hastened steps, she walked through the campus, silently dodging students. She did her best to not even brush against anybody out of fear of causing a situation she desperately wanted to avoid.

She breathed a quick sigh of relief when she finally reached the amphitheatre, which had already been prepared for the applicants with banners and everything. She quickly spotted a dark corner to her liking, sat down and drew her knees to her chest. There still was excitement bubbling inside of her, a faint glimmer of hope that, maybe – just maybe – she might have a great time here with people who might end up becoming her friends. Her fear of the opposite still dominated, though.

It became worse when the first applicants started entering. That they were applicants was obvious because of how they looked around with wide eyes, excited grins, their posture strong, determined, confident.

She had these qualities as well, she knew that she had every reason to, but it was difficult to tap into them right now. She felt more confident about slaying Grimm than she did about handling other people. Heck, she had more experience with slaying Grimm than she had with handling people. She noticed a few of the newcomers spotting her and casting curious glances in her direction, prompting her to sit up again and to dust her cape and skirt off. She ended up standing awkwardly in her lonely corner, her eyes shooting towards the door in irregular intervals. At one point she saw a busty, frowning blonde girl entering, at another a tall, blonde boy who looked kind of sickly. Then a hyper girl with a silent boy, then an armoured boy with slicked-back reddish-brown hair. It was a colourful group of people she would interact with in the future, one way or another.

There were quite a few who looked approachable at first glance. Probably even nice. She just didn't even know where to begin.

Groaning inwardly, Ruby decided to just focus her attention on Professor Ozpin for now, who had just entered the stage.

Listening to his rather gloomy speech was easier than figuring out how to make friends.

After his speech was over, the applicants broke into chatter. Ruby watched, yearning to be part of a group, to have someone nice to talk to, but, at the same time, she was glad she didn't. A single wrong word, a single wrong gesture and everything could come crashing down on her. Granny Maria had pretty much been the only social interaction she had had for most of her life. She sighed.

She didn't expect to already regret her decision.


	4. Darkness Is Creeping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this?! An update?! From me?! And then this fic?! Is this real life?!
> 
> Anywho, sorry for the delay. Had no time to write and the few spare moments I did have, I used to work on my original work, but I kinda missed fanfics and wanted to write for RWBY. So...here ya go.

Sailing through the air after being catapulted was an oddly liberating feeling. Sure, she could use her semblance to move more freely, including through the air, but this was something else. This wasn't a whirlwind tinting her surroundings in red. This was the cold wind whipping against her face, this was the world blurring into a billion colours.

After flying for longer than she expected, she started to sink moments later and browns and greens began to inch closer by the second. She waited until the very last moment before she activated her semblance to dash around the branches and trunks of the many trees. As soon as her feet touched the ground with her smooth landing, she had to smile and take a deep breath. _This_ felt good and right. To be out in the wilderness and to have to rely on all of her survival skills were what being raised by the _Grimm Reaper_ was all about.

She looked around and took in her surroundings. The Emerald Forest certainly was a sight to behold. The luscious green leaves crowning seemingly every single tree her eyes could see made it clear how deserved the name was.

Ruby's ears flicked at the sound of a breaking twig and she didn't waste a single moment to pull out and unfold Crescent Rose. Her movement a single, fluid motion: she turned around and twirled the giant scythe in such a way and with such perfect timing, that she impaled the belly of the leaping beowolf with the sharp end of the blade while it was still in mid-air; a defiant growl was all the beast managed before dissolving into nothingness.

She allowed herself a smug smirk before folding her baby back into its compact form and putting it on the magnetic strap on her lower back. It was time to get moving now.

* * *

Her trek through the forest was, admittedly, a calming and leisurely experience. The occasional lonesome Grimm was a nice change of pace, but, overall, she didn't have all that much to do. She didn't mind though. It gave her time to mentally prepare and steel herself for the fact that she would have to join a partnership of four years with a total stranger. It was crazy and she wished she could just lone-fox her time at Beacon, but, alas, Professor Ozpin was a bizarre, old-ish man. This idea of his was just another proof.

The sound of battle suddenly reached her, her fox-ears immediately perking up. She darted towards the area, both in sheer terror and eager anticipation. It was a chance to prove herself, but if the person was just plain rude or worse –

Almost cartoonish was the way she skidded to a halt upon seeing a _Schnee_. Granny Maria had allowed her to watch the news sometimes, to keep up with certain politics, so it was not at all difficult for her to recognise the white hair and pale skin. Plus, if that wouldn't have been enough, there always was the blatantly obvious Schnee crest at the back of her tiny jacket thing – whatever _that_ was.

She knew about Jaques Schnee. She knew how he treated her kind, how they suffered in the Schnee mines under the poorest of working conditions, but Granny Maria had always told her not to hate the children of bad people unless she knew for certain that they willingly followed in their parents' footsteps. Ruby didn't know a thing about the girl aside from her being a Schnee, which was already a scary fact, but she also didn't want to judge her just yet. It'd hurt if the girl were to do that to her after all.

Taking a deep breath, she unfolded Crescent Rose and impaled the pointy end of the blade on the ground to use it as a monopod and started firing. The first shots startled the girl – she jumped and looked around frantically after a beowolf she was attacking dissolved before she reached it – but she quickly calmed herself and concentrated on the last few Grimm that still needed to be destroyed. It didn't take more than an additional few seconds before the pack of beowolves was gone.

Ruby placed the, once again, compact Crescent Rose on her lower back and stepped into the now peaceful clearing.

The girl took a look at her. First, her eyes lingered on her ears, which immediately flattened against her head, then her tail, which immediately wrapped itself around her midriff.

Then, the girl's eyes – Ruby noticed the dark rings and bags under the startling blue – narrowed, her voice low and threatening. "Are you White Fang?"

"W-what?" Ruby's eyes were wide open and her mouth felt dry. She started to sweat nervously.

"Are those ears just for show, Faunus?" the girl all but hissed. "I asked if you are a member of the White Fang terrorists."

Ruby felt unable to speak and just shook her head frantically.

The girl looked her up and down again, then sighed. " _Oh, dear Eton, Winter will kill me if I ever tell her about this,_ " the girl whispered under her breath, even _just barely_ enough for her Faunus ears to catch. The girl's eyes, tired as they looked, still appeared to be piercing through her very soul. "Well, you definitely don't look like a terrorist. What's your name?" the girl then asked.

"R-runy – I mean Ruby! R-ruby Rose," Ruby stammered out, still with wide eyes, but now also with a furiously flushing face.

The girl raised a brow, then turned her gaze skywards, as if asking for divine intervention, before looking back at her. "I am Weiss Schnee, though you probably knew about the Schnee part, with you being a Faunus." The girl then nodded at the general direction of the supposed relics they had to collect. "Follow me. And don't touch me."

Ruby, feeling a bit calmer, just looked confused for a moment, but shrugged and jogged to catch up with the already walking girl.

* * *

Walking around with Weiss wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be. Her new partner was actually pretty decent company. The fact that she hadn't said a word yet, was probably the reason for that. As long as Weiss didn't talk or, the Battle Maiden forbid, _ask her_ _questions_ , then Ruby couldn't do or say things that might upset her. She felt even more than usual as if she was walking on eggshells. Her partner wasn't just anybody after all. Her partner was a _Schnee._ And she was a Faunus – a Faunus, whose partner was a _Schnee_. She felt as if she was being punished for something, but then she caught herself and tried to drag her thoughts away from such territory with the help of Granny Maria's scolding; those she had memorized word to word, by now.

After a while, however, Ruby noticed that they had started to stray from their path to the north. She began to feel fidgety and nervous and apparently it showed because Weiss stopped and exhaled noisily through her nose.

" _What_?"

Ruby just stood there, avoiding eye-contact. "...wearegoingwrong..." she finally said in the lowest mumble possible.

"For the love of – I am _not_ going to kill you, okay?! Just answer the question in a way a human being can actually understand."

"...we...we're going wrong…"

"And how do you know _that_?"

Ruby winced at the obvious annoyance colouring Weiss's voice. "I-I've been trained," she said, trying to muster up some confidence. "Y'know, survival and all that. All my life." She cheered inwardly for having stuttered only once and that only at the very beginning.

Daring to look at Weiss, she immediately regretted that decision again after seeing the fierce scowl. That scowl also made the scar running over Weiss's left eye stand out. Ruby couldn't help but wonder how she got that. She'd never ask though.

"Very well." Weiss looked intimidating with her straight posture and her hands on her hips. "Where is North then?"

"There," Ruby said, pointing in the direction.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "And how are you so sure?"

"The sun rises in the East and it still has to be early in the morning, so...yeah." Ruby shrugged. "North is that way." She then swallowed, feeling nervous again.

"...if we end up being wrong and I fail because of you, I will skin you alive."

Weiss then started to keep walking northwards, much to Ruby's relief, but that relief immediately diminished into nothingness at Weiss's words. What if she had made a mistake? What if a Schnee would fail the initiation because of her, a Faunus?

Just thinking about it made her shudder.

Before they could get far, however, Ruby stopped, her head cocked to the side. She couldn't exactly pinpoint it because it was so very faint, but she was sure she was hearing _something_ – like a thick liquid running and bubbling. She was also sure that the sound hadn't been here up until now. It had to have started recently.

"What is it now?"

Startled, Ruby turned to her partner. "S-sorry! I-I just…" She felt a bit stupid now. It probably was nothing...although she could still hear it, very faintly, as if from very far away.

"You just what?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.

"I just thought...I heard something?"

Weiss's eyes flickered to her ears for the briefest of moments. "And what exactly is it that you thought you heard?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know...like something flowing."

"Like a river?"

She shook her head. "No...I'm not sure. It's kind of like…" It sounded stupid, even in her head, but she looked at the ground. Then she went down to her hands and knees, turned her head and placed her ears as close to the ground as possible, her eyes widening immediately. "It's underground!"

"Well, that's great, but we have a clear objective. You can always tell the headmaster after this is over."

"Okay…" She felt disappointed because she was curious. She really wanted to know what it was, but Weiss was right.

Weiss took the lead again and started walking, but they didn't get very far. The ground started shaking, followed by the sound of blasts and explosions coming from the West. Weiss looked torn, but only for a moment. She started running in that direction and Ruby followed immediately.

They ran as fast as they could and as fast as Weiss's heeled boots allowed – which was a lot faster than Ruby expected, much to her astonishment. They jumped over a fallen tree and ran through a thicket while the sounds of battle grew louder and louder and then they saw a crater. Weiss stopped to a halt just at the edge of it and Ruby followed suit.

"We shouldn't be here," Weiss said. "There was a piece of broken barricades and a sign on a tree. The sign said that going past here is strictly prohibited."

"Prohi _what_?"

Weiss sighed. "Forbidden." She then glared down at the crater. "But some _cretins_ obviously were too curious for their own good."

"Cre _whats_?"

"Idiots," Weiss answered with even less patience than before.

"I haven't seen any signs, though."

"Well, I have. Pay attention to your surroundings."

Ruby shrugged, then looked down at the crater for the first time and she could immediately sympathise with the curiosity of whoever it was down there.

The crater itself wasn't all that deep or wide; on the contrary, it was surprisingly narrow and shallow. The most interesting thing, however, was at the bottom: she could, just about, see the entrance into a cave and it was almost _screaming_ at her to get down there and explore.

Ruby turned to Weiss, who had her scroll in her hands. "What are you doing?" she asked, almost surprising herself.

"I've sent a message to the emergency channel set up by Headmaster Ozpin and Deputy Headmistress Goodwitch. The battle already lasts too long for it to be an ordinary lone Grimm. Better safe than sorry." Weiss lit an emergency flare, which produced a thick cloud of bright and yellow smoke. She then looked down again and sighed. "Well, let us lend them a hand, shall we?"

Ruby watched in awe when Weiss jumped down and conjured some kind of platform to land on. She repeated that until she was all the way down and at the entrance. Ruby followed suit with her semblance, appearing a moment later next to her.

Weiss entered the cave with the flashlight of her scroll turned on. Ruby rummaged in two of her many pouches hanging on her belt. She grabbed a small flashlight and her spare, handing the spare to Weiss, who, at first, looked surprised, but then appreciative.

Weiss put her scroll away again, stashed the spare flashlight in her small pouch and held onto her rapier instead while Ruby provided them with the necessary light to illuminate the dark cave. The fight appeared to have died down a bit at least since there were no gunshots to be heard. However, there was also no sound of students or anything else resembling human or Faunus.

"Point your scroll there for a moment, please," her partner suddenly said and Ruby, curious enough, did as asked.

She gasped at the paintings on the wall, crude and ancient as they were. The humans looked more like stick figures and much of what was discernible was at the mercy of one's interpretation. A dark-coloured, wavy line was noticeable and many spider-like creatures as well, but the rest of the colouring was too faded to make any more sense of them.

Ruby looked lower and couldn't help another excited gasp.

 _"Tu, sivo-eisa voria, daignis es krihpu,"_ she read out, both elated to find something like this here, but also feeling a sense of impending doom suddenly settling in the pit of her stomach.

"You can read this?" Weiss asked, sounding genuinely curious. "Those symbols don't look like any language I've ever seen...this looks like an Atlesian _'ß'_ if you are _very_ generous, I guess...can you translate it?"

Ruby quickly came up with a way to translate this without revealing too much information about her knowledge. "It's a...warning...the first part is...addressing someone, the second part says _'darkness is creeping'_." She looked farther down the cave. "We should really keep going."

Weiss was immediately straightening her back and nodding. "Yes, we got distracted. Come on."

They went back to heading farther into the cave, the entrance already so far away, that the little bit of light illuminating it wasn't visible anymore.

"Can you see in the dark?" Weiss suddenly asked.

"No," Ruby answered, "...my animal traits are just my ears and tail."

"Too bad...it would've come in handy."

It certainly would have.

They kept on walking for a while longer when pained groaning made her ears twitch. She indicated for Weiss to follow, the click-clock of her partner's heels in the silence of the cave starting to make her wince.

A fork in the, so far, straight path made them stop. Ruby had to concentrate for a moment on the heavy and shallow breathing, on the whimpers. She took the right, followed by Weiss.

"The air is surprisingly breathable," Weiss commented.

Ruby wanted to explain why that probably was the case, but she didn't want to make Weiss think that she was some kind of know-it-all or something, so she just kept quiet instead.

"I'm starting to hear it too," Weiss said after a bit of more walking. "We are getting closer then."

"Wait." Ruby held out her arm to stop Weiss from going further.

Holding her breath and listening intently, Ruby's was turning her twitching eats in every direction. She turned off the flashlight and stowed it away, then grabbed Crescent Rose from her back. The first glowing red eyes penetrated the darkness like multiple dots, followed by more and more until they appeared to be everywhere.

Weiss was the first to act: a flash and suddenly Ruby felt a chilling cold touching her back. Screeching and scratching could be heard, small but plentiful bodies hitting something thick and solid. Weiss must have done something to block off a few of their enemies. The other eyes appeared to still be waiting. Suddenly, a low rumble shook her to her very core. It felt as if her bones were vibrating, as if her skull was being torn apart.

The dots chose that moment to attack and a billion small legs were rushing towards them.

Ruby impaled the pointy end of Crescent Rose's blade on the ground and immediately began firing. Melee would be awkward at best in such a cramped space.

Every shot illuminated the darkness, giving them glimpses of arachnoidal Grimm and clicking mandibles. A sudden flash of heat shot past her in the form of a crescent wave of fire. Her eyes widened for a moment as it burned visibly through a horde of these Grimm, but as soon as the fire fizzled out the empty black space got filled by a new wave of red eyes.

"We won't be able to hold on much longer!" Weiss exclaimed through gritted teeth after the wall she had created earlier had been broken down noisily. "My dust is running out fast!"

She had no choice. They were two against a legion.

So, she breathed in, then out and focused. Her vision immediately faded into pure white and shimmering silver and the world disappeared momentarily in blinding light. Screeches filled the air like a chorus of agony, then nothing but darkness and silence followed.

" _W-what was that?!_ " Weiss asked after several moments of stunned silence. Ruby suddenly felt her presence very close. "I know you did something! What did you do?!"

Before she could even have a chance of _thinking_ of an answer, the rumbling from before returned, but this time it seemingly was with a vengeance. She sank to her knees and clutched her head, wetness leaking from her nose and even from the corners of her eyes. She coughed and retched, a coppery taste overwhelming her. Suddenly hasty steps became audible, running towards them from deep within the cave and then into her, forcing the air out of her lungs. She fell onto her side, someone or something on top of her. Dazed, she still could hear someone rummaging in something and a moment later, light from a flashlight blinded her.

"You – Faunus – Ruby – are you okay?"

Ruby didn't even know what happened as she just tried to get away from whatever ran into her. She scrambled backwards and looked up to see a guy about their age staring at them with the most crazed eyes she had ever seen: wide open, unblinking, haunted. His white button-down shirt was tattered and torn, his jeans muddied, his hands covered in blood. His weapon was nowhere to be seen.

He stared at them, they stared at him.

"Run," was all he said – _whispered_ – before taking off again.

"What the…" Weiss looked after him, then back at her. "You are bleeding."

"Aren't you –?"

Ruby got interrupted by yet another rumble, but this time it didn't last long and was followed by a deep, _deep_ growl. Ruby staggered to her feet and supported herself on a wall.

"We have to get out of here!" Weiss said when the cave suddenly began to shake and Ruby couldn't agree more.

Whatever they had stumbled into was more than they had bargained for when trying to do the right thing by wanting to help potentially troubled comrades.

The shaking turned into a full-on earthquake and still got worse and worse. Ruby was now flat on the ground, unable to find the balance and support to stand. She could feel and hear the cracking of rock all around them, debris from the ceiling of the cave was falling on them and her spare flashlight was clattering on the ground before disappearing into the unknown below them.

The quaking stopped. Ruby could hear Weiss's harsh breathing and how she tried to get to her feet, and she quickly did the same. She pulled out her flashlight and turned it on, motioning for Weiss to move. Without interruptions, they managed to reach the fork and kept running. Weiss even sighed in relief when the cave's entrance finally became visible.

Fresh air was filling their lungs the moment they stepped out. They were safe.

Professor Ozpin would have to know about this. She would have to find a way to explain her use of her eyes to Weiss. They'd be partners after all.

Ruby looked up. Bullheads were landing and –

A rumble. The ground shook and quaked. Ruby turned around.

The cave exploded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!Don't read this if you haven't seen V8C8 yet!!
> 
> The language for the writing on the cave's wall is "borrowed" from the choir after Willow and Whitley dropped the statue on the Hound. According to Alex Abraham, the composer, it's a made-up language created by putting syllables together with a program called Voxos, which then adds the choir. I liked it and it was a spontaneous decision to add and expand it here. The whole chapter and cave and whatnot, it was already clear for months. The language was a spontaneous decision. What it is and how Ruby knows...that's for later – as in, later for you cuz I already know.
> 
> The sentence translated: "You, Silver-Eyed Warrior, darkness is creeping."


	5. An Enemy Unknown

Rocks, rubble and debris flew everywhere as the ground shook following the explosion. A bullhead got hit by a large piece, exploding upon impact and raining down burning parts of metal on them.

Ruby, acting on pure instinct, activated her semblance on both her and Weiss, dodging parts of the cave and bullhead left and right. In mere moments, she made it to the edge of the crater but had to split herself as a huge, black and clawed hand got launched in her direction. It passed right through both halves of her semblance, but while reassembling herself and Weiss, she could hear a startled and panicked yelp. As they landed, one of the present Beacon guards got pulled towards the epicentre, his screams making her ears ring.

"Grayson! What the fuck was that?!" another guard screamed.

Ruby didn't have an answer to offer. Instead, she checked on her partner, who looked shaken, paler than usual, but otherwise fine and unharmed.

Weiss glared at her from the corner of her eyes, breathing heavily. "I told you...not to touch me."

Her ears folded tightly against her head as she deflated instantly. "I just wanted to help…"

"...you did," Weiss muttered, though her glare didn't lessen any. "We need to go to the professors."

With a nod, she followed her partner, who led them to the group of the Academy's personnel and a few upperclassmen, watching the settling dust around the crater.

"Hey, kid," one of the older students said and Ruby looked to see the girl from yesterday, who had helped her out when she was losing herself in her spiral of anxiety. Cocoa something.

She gave a weak and shy smile in return. "H-hi."

"Miss Rose, Miss Schnee." Their headmaster turned around, his expression betraying the seriousness of their situation before his eyes widened in shock. "Is that blood, M–"

Again the rumbling came, like a tidal wave washing over the environment and consuming it. Ruby dropped to her knees, her hands folding her ears against her head. The sound rattled the inside of her skull, making it feel like her brain was going to explode at any moment. Her mouth was filled with the coppery taste of blood and she was coughing up even more. From the inner corners of her eyes, from her nose and even from her ears could she feel sticky wetness running down her skin.

She wanted to die. She wanted someone to shoot her in the head or to just chop it off. Anything – _everything_ – but this pure and utter agony she was going through.

And then it stopped. She rolled onto her back, arms and legs sprawled. Her bones felt like they had been ground to dust. She heard voices, but understanding them was impossible, as muffled as they were. Hands were touching her, instantly causing her body to erupt in pain as if a million thick nails had been thrust through her flesh. Her vision, painted in crimson, crept into black. She couldn't stop it.

She sent one last prayer to the Battle Maiden, hoping that she wouldn't take her to her side just yet, hoping that it wasn't her time to fight alongside her just yet.

She didn't want to die.

* * *

Slowly, her eyes opened, the glaring white surrounding her forcing them closed again. An incessant beeping sound made her ears flick, quickly becoming an annoyance.

"Ruby?"

Her ears flicked again. "Hnn…" She tried to open her eyes once more, but the white was too blinding. Her head lolled to her right towards the voice. It felt _so_ heavy.

"Nurse!"

The sudden loud voice made her wince and the wince made her wince again. She sighed and groaned weakly.

"I apologize," the voice said softly.

She heard hasty steps approaching, then some rustling and bustling around her and next to her. A bit of tugging made her realize that she appeared to be connected to some tubes.

"I've closed the window drapes," the voice said. "Try opening your eyes again."

Ruby did, slowly. The brightness of her white surroundings wasn't as overwhelmingly glaring as it had been moments ago. It took her a bit of blinking to get used to it, but at least she managed to keep her eyes open this time. At first, her vision was a bit blurry, but it began to clear bit by bit.

"Here, drink, Miss Rose."

Something poked her lips and she opened them, allowing the drinking straw in and taking greedy sips. She hadn't realized just how thirsty she had been. Tilting her head a bit back to indicate that she was done, she allowed the drinking straw to slip out from between her lips.

She groggily turned her head towards the nurse. "Thank...you." Her voice sounded raspy and foreign to her ears.

"You're welcome, Miss Rose. Doctor Meadow will come and see you in a few moments."

Ruby nodded. She'd like to know what had happened. Only vaguely could she remember that horrific rumbling sound coming from that cave and whatever Grimm or other creature dwelled in it.

"Ruby."

The voice. Right. At her right. She couldn't stop herself from whining. Her head felt _so heavy_.

"Ugh, fine. I'll move my chair to the other side."

That was a nice gesture.

She waited a moment and soon, in front of her, there was Weiss, her partner. Her eyes widened both in surprise and realisation. It was weird; the voice hadn't sounded familiar at all at first, but now she felt a bit stupid. She should've known, even if they knew each other only for a few hours. She wondered how much time had passed since she had passed out.

Weiss looked at her with critical eyes, but it wasn't as guarded or even standoffish as she had gotten to know her. "How are you?"

"I...don't...know," Ruby answered. Talking felt like even more of a chore than it usually did.

"Do you know what happened?" Weiss asked. "Do you remember anything at all?"

Ruby nodded. "Most...yes...some things...bit...fuzzy…"

"Understandable, I suppose." Her partner sighed. "I have so many questions, but they can wait for the moment. You should rest. Just so you know: despite not completing the mission, we made it: we are officially students of Beacon Academy." Weiss smiled proudly. " _I've_ been made Team Leader. Our Team is called SYBR, pronounced Silber – old Atlesian for Silver. Our Teammates are another Faunus, Blake Belladonna – I wonder how she is related to Ghira Belladonna – and a Yang Xiao-Long."

All blood disappeared from Ruby's face, the vital signs monitor she was connected to betraying her increasing heart rate. "Oh...Goddess...oh...no…"

Weiss just looked confused and suspicious. "You too?"

That was bad. So, _so_ bad. She was in a team with her sister. How was she even going to do this?

"You obviously know her and, from the looks of it, your relationship isn't the best, considering how _she_ had reacted upon hearing _your_ name." Weiss sounded quite annoyed. "She even _demanded_ to be put in a different team – right there on stage. _Such_ a disrespectful thing to do."

 _That_ piece of information _really_ stung. "It's...complicated…" Yeah, that'd explain things.

" _Fantastic_. I just couldn't have had a team that got along and worked together from the very start." Her partner sighed. "Well, as Winter would say, there's no real growth without overcoming challenges." She got up from her chair and moved it away, then returned a moment later to her side. "For what it's worth...I'm glad you are okay. You seem to be...not a bad person, for a Faunus at least. The fact that you, apparently, aren't a member of the White Fang certainly helps. Plus, we are partners for the next four years."

Ruby wasn't sure if she should take that as an insult for her heritage or compliment for her personality. "...thanks?" She opted for the compliment. Kind of.

"You're welcome. Classes start tomorrow, so I'll be bringing your homework by then. Get well."

Ruby watched her partner leave, then did her best to shift her head a bit towards the door. Someone was approaching her room and, just moments after Weiss was gone, a doctor had entered.

"Good afternoon, Miss Rose." He sounded nice and his kind smile was infectious. "I'm Doctor Vert Meadow. You've given us quite the scare today."

"...sorry." She smiled sheepishly. She'd even given herself a scare. The mental wishes for the sweet release of death during that...it made her shiver. Such pain she wouldn't wish upon the worst person on Remnant.

"No need to apologize." He disappeared from her field of vision and reappeared a moment later with a clipboard. "It's a good sign that you are awake and capable of speech, even if you appear to still be very weak."

"It's...hard...to speak…"

"And your head?"

"... _so_...heavy…"

He wrote something down. "Any pain?"

"Every...where…"

He chuckled then disappeared from her field of vision again and was at her left, probably to look at the big monitor on that side.

"Well, your vitals appear to be perfectly fine. Your brain haemorrhage wasn't as bad as suspected – quite surprising. Your aura tier is a completely average three, perfectly acceptable and expected for your age. Even a tier five shouldn't have been able to heal the brain damage that would have been in line with all the blood and cerebrospinal fluid you apparently had been leaking from...well, everywhere in your head." He paused and she heard some paper rustling. "You also had some damage to several blood vessels in your eyes, which caused the bleeding there...and ruptured eardrums...both have been healed perfectly fine." He paused again, walked around the bed, and reappeared in her field of vision, without the clipboard. "Honestly, considering the damage, you should have been in a coma right now. It really is a miracle, though I don't believe in such, that you are here and hearing and seeing and speaking."

She didn't know what to say and just thanked the Battle Maiden silently for watching over her. Her Goddess must've heard her and granted her wish to not take her to her side just yet. She'd pray with even more conviction now. A real miracle.

"Ah, Headmaster Ozpin. Mister Branwen."

Ruby returned her attention to the door to see that the headmaster was indeed there and waiting for the doctor to finish. She only recognized the other name from her first meeting with Ozpin, though. The tall man with fierce red eyes, messy black hair and a frayed, red cape – similar to hers, just without the hood and quite a bit smaller – didn't jog any distant memories whatsoever.

"How is Miss Rose doing, Doctor?" Professor Ozpin asked.

Doctor Meadow chuckled. "A lot better than she should be doing. Her vitals are good, she feels pain everywhere, according to what she said, which is a good sign that her nerves are functional and her body is healing. She can speak, although with difficulty, but that'll get better soon, _and_ she hears and comprehends when she is being spoken to."

"I expected a lot worse," Professor Ozpin said. "It was quite a terrifying sight at that moment."

"So I've been told. She's healing beautifully though. Her aura-activity is solid and strong. At this rate, she'll be up and around in a couple of days."

"That is good to hear. If you need more time, we could wait –"

"Thank you, headmaster, but I've finished checking up on our resident miracle."

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up at those words. She hoped it wouldn't become a thing.

The doctor nodded at her with a smile, then left, while the headmaster and Mister Branwen both took chairs from somewhere in the room and sat down next to her bed.

"What...happened?" Ruby asked once both men were seated.

"That is a good question, Miss Rose. One we've been asking ourselves as well." Professor Ozpin was quiet for a bit, just looking at her. "Allow me to apologize first. Qrow Branwen was close by and, given the circumstances, I broke a promise I made to you a couple of days ago."

She knew what he referred to: the promise that he wouldn't tell her family about her return to Vale. "...it's...okay."

Professor Ozpin nodded. "Recounting the events of earlier today...is difficult. I have seen a lot, Miss Rose. Probably more than every man, woman and child together to ever grace this beautiful planet. Today, however...today was a first."

Professor Ozpin's choice of words was a bit weird, but she could still understand where he was coming from. The cave, the paintings and the writings and everything else – it had all been _so_ bizarre.

"The thing in the cave was a Grimm," Professor Ozpin went on. "About as large as a fully grown Leviathan, but a lot more intelligent. It took us an unprecedented military airstrike and cost us twelve Beacon guards, a whole fourth-year team, two third-year students and four second-year students."

"...what...does...unpre-...un…"

The headmaster smiled patiently. "Never seen, done or known before, Miss Rose."

Ruby's gaze wandered down and her ears were flat on her hand. She wrapped her tail around her waist.

Professor Ozpin continued. "It wasn't just a normal Grimm, Miss Rose. It was...ancient in ways we didn't think possible. Something entirely unknown to us. Something that harmed _you_ in ways it didn't us."

Ruby was confused for a moment, but then her eyes widened in understanding. "You...mean…?"

"You are the only one harmed _this_ way. What it did to you, we do not know."

That was troubling. "...why?"

"I have a few theories, but I will have to research first before saying anything further on this topic. I have a feeling that we may know a lot less about Grimm than we had assumed."

"...did...the...student...make...it…" She had to swallow, her throat feeling dry and raw. Suddenly a drinking straw poked her lips and she looked up to the best of her ability. Mister Branwen was holding her water cup for her to drink. Shyly she opened her mouth and took a few sips. "Thank...you...Sir…"

"Don't mention it, kiddo," he said in a weirdly kind but gruff voice. "Also, I'm a lot of things, but definitely no 'Sir'. Just call me Qrow. We're family after all, even if you don't remember it."

Ruby smiled awkwardly, but then turned her eyes back to Professor Ozpin.

"I assume you mean the supposed student Miss Schnee told me about? In the cave?" he asked her.

"...yes...Sir…"

"There was not a single one of your competition in there, Miss Rose," Professor Ozpin said. "Out of every initiation participant, our cameras only caught you and Miss Schnee entering it. No one else went in or out."

Nothing made sense anymore. They had heard battles, though. They had heard weapons in the cave. They had heard someone whimper and groan in there. They _had_ seen _someone_.

"That's the situation, Miss Rose," Professor Ozpin said and got up from the chair. "Oh, Miss Schnee mentioned something written on the cave's wall? 'Darkness is creeping', according to what she said you translated?"

"...it...was... _Sivorian_ …"

Professor Ozpin looked impressed. "A dead language, lost and forgotten through the years. I'm surprised you can understand it enough to read and translate."

She wanted to shrug, but couldn't, so she just smiled. It was all thanks to her mum before she disappeared and thanks to Granny Maria since she had taken over.

"Very well," the headmaster said, returning his chair to its original position. "Qrow? We should give Miss Rose the rest she needs."

Mister Branwen – _Qrow_ – nodded and moved his chair back to its place as well, then waved at her from the door. "See you around kid. It's been...it's been really good to see you. I'll come by tomorrow to visit – if you don't mind."

She gave him a small smile. He almost sounded shy. It was a bit funny. "...I...don't…"

He returned the smile, then left with the headmaster.

Her eyes had been drooping a bit anyway. Sleep sounded really good right about now.


End file.
